16 May 2012

CAPEDWONDER™.COM REVEALS EXCITING SUPERBOY TV SERIES NEWS!

Yesterday evening I spoke with one of my Warner Bros. contacts about Gerard Christopher’s Superboy TV series seasons 2-4.

There was a belief for many years that the series’ original film elements had been destroyed, however, that is apparently not the case. Today I am pleased to report that one of Warner Bros.’ vice presidents (who is a very energetic and passionate Superman/boy fan) has confirmed that the film elements are actually sitting in the Warner Bros. vaults. He is apparently well aware of the huge fan base that is eager to see these remaining three seasons released on video, and is pushing hard to get them released as soon as possible. Like you, he wants to see the project get done and done right.

This is not an official announcement of the series’ release. The intention today is to inform you of the film elements’ existence and that a senior level executive at Warner Bros. is putting the wheels in motion to get the series released. Please keep in mind that there are no guarantees in the movie business, so we’ll have to remain patient and keep our fingers crossed that Gerard Christopher’s Superboy will fly again soon.

Stay tuned!

Please enjoy this gallery of unreleased behind-the-scenes photos from Superboy!

Be sure to visit Sam Rizzo’s Superboy Homepage and Rennie Cowan’s Superboy Theater to stay abreast of all things related to the Superboy TV series! Keep up the great work Sam and Rennie!

14 May 2012

18 years ago today – May 14, 1994 – Christopher Reeve attended his only movie/sci-fi convention in the U.S. – The Atlanta Dixie Trek Convention. He was joined by the Original Lois Lane, Noel Neill. It was an amazing event! Chris gave a rousing 90-minute question-and-answer session, signed many autographs and posed for many photos that day! Click here to visit the exclusive CapedWonder™ page with more photos, videos and articles! Special thanks to Ron Nastrom who made it all happen!

10 May 2012

Glamour magazine has created a PDF file exclusively for CapedWonder™.com of their June 2012 article by Christopher Reeve’s daughter, Alexandra Reeve. The printed edition is now available at a newsstand near you right now. Enjoy!

08 May 2012

Please enjoy this original photograph of Mount Kidd taken by me last summer in Canada. This mountain is located between the Ribbon Creek Valley and the Kananaskis River; east buttress of Guinn”s Pass. Kananaskis Park, Alberta. It is in the vicinity of the Superman-The Movie rocket heist filming locations with Gene Hackman, Ned Beatty and Valerie Perrine.

Thanks to Jason Thomas for helping me identify this mountain.

07 May 2012

See more Seultron videos here.

Here’s a 1977/2011 comparison of the Superman-The Movie cemetery location in the Drumheller area of Alberta, Canada. You’ll notice the two wood grain elevators in the valley below the cemetery in the two movie Blu-ray screenshots (the valley is located in Beynon, which is on the Canadian National Railway line about 12 miles or so from Drumheller). The top photo features cardboard miniatures by Jim Pearson of the two elevators. The white United Grain Growers elevator and the tall annex were moved out of the valley to a new location north of Beynon, and the green Alberta Wheat Pool elevator was torn down. The fourth panoramic photo illustrates what the location may have looked like today with the grain elevators intact, and the bottom panoramic photo is how the location actually looks (panoramics by Jim Bowers).

06 May 2012

‘Crafted From 100% Polyamid…’

06 May 2012

Here are two new images for your enjoyment. Art and photographer are unknown – both reserve their respective copyrights.

Do you want to know more about the upcoming Superman-The Movie: Restored International Cut fan edit coming out soon? Click here!

02 May 2012

Look at the date on the clapper board – 2nd May 1977 – 35 years ago today this make-up test was shot of Christopher Reeve!

01 May 2012

Today is Glenn Ford’s birthday! He was born in 1916, one year before the Kent farm was built in Canada. Mr. Ford passed away on August 30, 2006.

30 April 2012

Please enjoy these two original photograph taken by me last summer in Alberta, Canada.

The first photo is of of the mountain called “The Three Sisters” located in the Bow River Valley west of Stewart Creek. Kananaskis Park, Alberta, Canada. It is in the vicinity of the Superman-The Movie rocket heist filming locations with Gene Hackman, Ned Beatty and Valerie Perrine. Thanks to Jason Thomas for helping me identify this mountain.

The second photo is of the Pioneer grain elevator in Blackie, the last of all the wooden elevators that once stood track side in the town. It is in the vicinity of the Superman III picnic filming location where Superman saves Ricky. Look for the grain elevators the next time you watch the movies.

28 April 2012

Have you ever watched the cut scenes in the Superman IV DVD and Blu-ray releases? There’s some interesting footage there for sure. Would it have made the movie a better experience? Perhaps in some instances. This is a photo from one of those cut scenes where Superman flies to Jeremy’s school to take the boy on a trip around the world. You hardcore Superman movies fans know the entire story. Enjoy! (The child extras did a nice job looking happy and excited to see Superman in this scene.)

Win A Replica Christopher Reeve Superman Tie!

26 April 2012

Some of you long-time visitors may remember seeing this super rare photo before, but it wasn’t the quality you see here today! This is a completely new scan and restoration using the brand new Photoshop CS6 beta software. Christopher Reeve and Richard Donner are on the streets of New York City talking with the press while on break from filming Clark’s first day at the Daily Planet in Superman-The Movie, shot in July 1977. Enjoy!

25 April 2012

Check out the awesome Superman II on Aintitcool.com! Thanks to Steve Younis for the alert!

Derek Meddings’ miniature work for TV and movies was second to none. Look at his Golden Gate Bridge miniature for Superman-The Movie. The top is a behind-the-scenes photo of the miniature, including a miniature Superman flying up to the bus; and the bottom shows how it appeared in the movie. Looks as though Derek used a few different buses and Supermen since they vary a bit between the two photos.

Here’s an unreleased photo of Superman Producer Ilya Salkind in New York City in July 1977 during the filming of Ned Beatty in Grand Central Station for Superman-The Movie.

24 April 2012

Happy 82nd Birthday to Richard Donner!

Everyone here at CapedWonder™.com wishes the very best for you today and for many more years to come!

Below is a collage of metallic gallery enlargements that Mr. Donner will receive today as a birthday gift from all of us!

21 April 2012

Here’s a partially-restored unreleased photo taken on the Shepperton Studios Fortress of Solitude set of the Richard Donner cast and crew filming scenes for his Superman sequel (May 1977). Enjoy!

Superfan Dino Last e-mailed me this great photo: “This is me yesterday at the WB [Warner Bros.] studios Harry Potter set tour in Leavesden [England], eating at the WB restaurant. As you can see I got the best seat going.”

Dino said that the tour staff told him that if the Harry Potter tour is a success, they plan to include other films in a new tour in the future, so it’s reasonable to assume that the most iconic ones like the Dark Knight, and Superman will be considered.

Thanks Dino for sharing the photo and information! Visit the tour website here, and the studio’s website here.

20 April 2012

Please enjoy this new panoramic photo by Jim Bowers of the Kent farm location in Canada. It was created from eight vertically-shot digital files.

Richard Donner responded after seeing this photo with, “…”can see that woodie driving down the road…great pix”. This is the “woodie” to which he was referring.

Click here to see more photos.

19 April 2012

5 Things You May Not Know About ‘Superman II,’ 31 Years After It Hit Theaters.

Please enjoy this new photo by Jim Bowers of the Kent farm location in Canada. Click here to see more photos.

18 April 2012

Here is a CapedWonder™.com exclusive premiere – Selutron’s COMPLETE Opening to his vision of Superman II:

From Selutron:

I went back and finished off the intro, changing one or two things and adding a recap. I know some people who are very familiar with the movies may think its a bit long, but I think a general audience would need to get into the movie this way (that’s what I always tried to keep in mind making these things), plus lots and lots of action and Supes at the start balances off the lack of Supes or Sup action for a big chunk of SII thereafter in both Donner’s and Lester’s versions. It’s like bang and then you want a breather. There’s a slight tribute to Mank in there: Chris Reeve’s opening line being essentially the same as Brando’s in the first movie (“this is no fantasy”).

The hope would be not how this intro plays by itself, but in terms of setting up the movie: Son disobeys father because he can’t live without one human and that disobedience leads to the release of the villains – and Lois thinks she knows something…and, as mentioned, deliberately exhaust the audience a little in terms of action, so now they want a breather and are ready to watch a Lois/Clark love story develop and the slow buildup of the Zod and Lex stuff.

If you have comments or questions for Selutron, free to post them at the bottom of this page.

16 April 2012

Remember opening your TOPPS Superman II gum cards and seeing these two photos (see the first two images below)? Did you think to yourself, “Where did those scenes appear in the movie?” Well, they didn’t! At least, not in the theatrical cut; they first appeared on film in 2006 with the release of the Donner Cut. You photo collectors may remember the larger photos shown below while hunting at shows, etc. I just restored the last photo with the contact sheet strip from the CapedWonder™ Collection (Thanks Matt Derby for the larger headshot!); none of the headshots shown on the contact sheet strip were ever released except for the featured one. Interesting that Warner Bros.’ marketing department didn’t realize that they were looking at photos from scenes that Richard Lester never used for his cut of the movie, and so the photos were released as part of the whole promotional campaign. Enjoy!

15 April 2012

Here’s some unique artwork by graphic designer Aurélie Scour. Can you identify some of the Superman movie quotes? Right click on the larger photo to save to your desktop, then you can zoom in on the quotes with your favorite image viewer.

14 April 2012

Check out these ultra-rare behind-the-scenes photos of Christopher Reeve, Richard Pryor, stuntman and stunt coordinator Paul Weston and a crew member practicing their landing for the last scene with Superman and Gus in Superman III. You can easily see how the wire harnesses are constructed. Notice that Chris and Richard are wearing two different styles of harnesses. Yes, it was very dangerous flying on wires, and Chris Reeve made it look so real. He told me that the hours of wire flying gave him a herniated disk. Be sure to click here to see the entire gallery.

13 April 2012

One of the many treasures in the CapedWonder™ Collection is a first generation large format internegative from one of the original studio negatives of the famous Superman-The Movie promotional “shirt rip” photo series (also featured on the cover of the Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut release) – see a portion of the costume with the un-cropped photo inset below.

I scanned the interpositive on a drum scanner and spent the last two hours restoring the photo. It was interesting to study the fabric used in this totally unique costume; you can easily see the fabric pattern (which doesn’t appear to be the bridal weight spandex used in the screen-worn costumes) and the ‘S’ shield appears to have been either painted or silk screened onto the blue tunic. The shield also has a black outline similar to the shields seen on the two Reeve audition costumes (see the next posting below).

Note that the un-cropped inset photo is different from this one used in Variety. Click here to see the comparison. Variety is on top (it was also printed a bit warmer than the version below it).

By the way, the model in this “shirt rip” photo is not Christopher Reeve; he is an unknown with a mustache.

These two photos feature Christopher Reeve wearing two different audition costumes. The left one was worn first during his Superman audition, and the right one was worn second during the Lois Lane auditions. Neither cape had a yellow ‘S’. Where are these costumes today? One can only imagine.

Enjoy this commissioned piece by DC Comics artist Stephane Roux.

05 April 2012

Are you looking forward to the Avengers movie? Below are promotional images of Thor and Superman. Well, look at that – two red capes, two fist poses and stuntman Vic Armstrong worked on both Thor and Superman-The Movie!

Selutron has recently sent CapedWonder™.com an exclusive update and high resolution files of his video clips. One clip is featured below. Click here to go to the Selutron page.

04 April 2012

Hi Folks! A reminder that our Facebook page often has great material that you may not see here, so we welcome you to join us there. We have great interaction and learn something new from each other nearly everyday! Click here to join the official CapedWonder™ Facebook page!

Animated Views has posted their own review of the Superman The Motion Picture Anthology blu-ray set. Click here to check it out!

Watch for the Superman movie part here:

Another unreleased photo of Margot Kidder and Christopher Reeve from Superman-The Movie, courtesy of Superfan Martin Lakin! (check Martin’s site later if it’s not up at the moment. It has some awesome Super material that you won’t want to miss.)

Click here to see more unreleased photos from the Superman interview.

Here’s an unreleased behind-the-scenes photo of the mugger (actor Weston Gavin) in Superman-The Movie, filmed at Pinewood Studios, England. Interesting that he is plugging his ear with a finger from his free hand as he fires the handgun with his other hand. As an expert marksman with handguns, I can tell you that this is not the way it’s done! The fact that the bullet even came close to either Lois or Clark is amazing. Did you actually see him with his finger in his ear in the movie? Take a look next time you’re watching the movie.

There were actually two actors who portrayed this mugger in the movie. The first actor is unseen except for his handgun in one hand and his other hand gesturing Lois and Clark to come in the alley (filmed in New York City), and the second actor is Westin Gavin (filmed in England). I have photos of the unseen NYC mugger that I will post here later.

Click here to see more unreleased photos from the mugger scene.

01 April 2012

Here’s more great art from Christopher Hack. Be sure to visit his website to see more Superman pieces!

30 March 2012

“We´ve all been heroes before. Do you remember what it was like? To feel powerful? Fearless? On the good guys’ side? Where could that costume be today? Because it´s time to put it back on. Let’s pretend again that the world needs us.”

– Ramón Casares, CapedWonder™ Network member and official Graphic Designer

Please enjoy this first wave of Superman III Blu-ray screenshots.

Pictured below is Baby Superman from Superman-The Movie, Aaron Smolinski, with his real-life mom. The man with the mustache behind the man wearing the red hard hat is Aaron’s real-life dad. The man on the far right wearing the white shirt is stuntman and stunt coordinator Paul Weston. He performed stunts as Non and Zod in the theatrical Superman II. The man inside the car, stuntman Roy Alon, also performed the motorcycle crash against the blue VW bug on the Golden Gate Bridge in Superman-The Movie. More about Roy here.

29 March 2012

Hi Jim,

Gene Fallaize
Director
‘Superman: Requiem”
www.themanofsteelisback.com

28 March 2012

Hi Folks! That’s right! It’s been 10 years, an entire decade, since I launched this website. Its mission has always been to Celebrate Christopher Reeve’s Legacy, and to share many unique and rare images with all of you! That mission will not change. Thanks to all of you, we are going strong! Let’s celebrate for another 10 years and beyond, shall we? Please enjoy this image for your desktop!

Jim, A “Super” Congrats on your 10th Anniversary of CapedWonder.com. I have visited your incredibly well done website often over the years. After a visit, I always come away with a smile on my face and a fond remembrance of my first time seeing Superman The Movie as a young child. The film proved to me that magic really could be done in the movies and it forever sealed Christopher Reeve as the ultimate Superman for me. CapedWonder.com brings back the joy of childhood for me and for that I thank you greatly. Here’s to the next 10 Years!

Matt W.
Phoenix, AZ

Jim, I think you know how grateful I am to have been there from the beginning watching you create and preserve the legacy of Christopher Reeve and his role of Superman. For me though, Your generosity, respect and love for your family, friends and many visitors to CW is whats make you a true SUPERMAN! God Bless u brother!

Noldy Rodriquez

This just in from Selutron regarding his Superman II vision:

I’m pleasantly surprised that people continue to express an interest in the possibilities related to having another go at sprucing up SII – (or issuing some kind of restored Superman part I and II complete saga type release). I think that much will be dictated by simple economics – if the new Superman movie does well at the box office, then the “property” of Superman rises in perceived value. That will then be the time to really move with a fresh pitch.

Thanks to everyone,
Selutron

Below is a screenshot from Selutron’s Superman II. Click here to learn more about his work.

Please enjoy new Blu-ray screenshots here, here and here. Many more to come down the road. Below are some samples…enjoy!

20 March 2012

Son of ‘Superman’ pushes for paralysis research…read more here.

19 March 2012

Glenn Karlsen Photography was kind enough to share his fantastic Hot Toys photos with us…Enjoy!

15 March 2012

Here’s an unreleased panoramic photo taken by set photographer Bob Penn (he used a Iscorama Panarama lens on his Nikon F SLR) of Jor-el ‘s laboratory set at Shepperton Studios, England. This is one of the first days of filming in late March/early April 1977. Continuity Supervisor Elaine Schreyeck is seen on the far left. She is perhaps best known for her continuity work on many Bond films. She’s a fascinating lady who has told me many interesting stories, including the issue of Christopher Reeve’s “package” and why she suggested that he be fitted with a codpiece/cup because “sometimes he was to the left and sometimes to the right” from scene to scene . Elaine is easily spotted in many photos holding her trusty binder, keeping a close eye on every detail for the camera. (Sorry Folks about the watermark across the photo. Unfortunately, it has become a must with my rare photos because so often they show up with the red & yellow logo Photoshopped out and posted elsewhere, or worse, printed and sold at shows and on eBay.) Enjoy!

13 March 2012 – Updated

This custom Superman III evil Christopher Reeve Superman Hot Toys figure showed up at my doorstep yesterday, so I thought it would be fun to photograph it. The second photo is the first one I shot of the standard figure soon after it was released last year. Enjoy!

10 March 2012

Here are two rare photos shot in May 1977 on the Fortress of Solitude set at Shepperton Studios, England. Both are from Richard Donner’s Superman II. The first photo has never been released until now, and features Christopher Reeve, camera operator Peter MacDonald, director Richard Donner, and cinematographer Geoffrey Unsworth. Enjoy!

Did you know that Superman-The Movie‘s helicopter rescue featured both full-size props and miniatures? Take a look at these two files. The top photos show a full-size prop and the bottom photos show a miniature by the incredible Derek Meddings. Incredible! Learn more about Derek here.

09 March 2012

Robb Pratt is a Super guy! I had the pleasure of meeting him this past January at a California show. Check out his fantastic ‘Superman Classic’ below!

07 March 2012

One year ago today, Richard Donner invited my wife and me to screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz’s tribute at the Director’s Guild of America in Hollywood (Tom passed away in July 2010). What a touching and very special celebration of Tom’s life. Below is my tribute video to “MANK” and two videos I shot at the tribute (WARNING: profanity can be heard during Margot Kidder’s speech). I knew Tom for a number of years. He was so friendly, smart and humble. I miss you tons Tom.

Superman Homepage is having a contest to win a unique piece of retro Superman art by Des Taylor. Below are some of Des’ amazing retro Superman artworks. Visit his website here to see more art and learn more about the contest.

05 March 2012

Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging (MPI) has granted CapedWonder™.com “official” permission today to publish an exclusive interview with MPI’s Senior Mastering Colorist, Pat Miller, about his work on the Superman The Motion Picture Anthology Blu-ray box set and many, many other movie and television titles. Click here to read it!

03 March 2012

A highlight of Superman IV. Christopher Reeve had amazing presence.

02 March 2012

29 February 2012

HAPPY 74th BIRTHDAY SUPERMAN!!!!

Thank you Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster for creating the most Amazing Superhero in the World!!

Enjoy the exclusive CapedWonder™ wallpaper below!!

Click here to visit Superman’s Birthday CapedWonder™ page.

28 February 2012

Here is a new and improved (and now uncropped) version of one of my favorite behind-the-scenes Superman-The Movie photos. Imagine how many camera setups and takes were required to complete this scene! Click here to see more Superfeats photos.

Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder had great chemistry in the Superman series. This magical scene is a shining example of just how exceptional they were together.

Here are two photos that were scanned and restored in the early days of the website. I made a few new improvements to them today. This is my favorite scene from Superman II. How many times have you watched it over the past 31 years? The Blu-ray version is truly impressive. Enjoy!

27 February 2012

‘Reeve’ by artist Arturo Arriaga Mercado. Enjoy!

Another Supermania update: Criminal Mastermind Apprehended On The M25…

22 February 2012

The Superman-The Movie gallery has been updated! Click here! Featured below is a portrait of Valerie Perrine as Eve Teschmacher, and director Richard Donner and crew in Gallup, New Mexico, June 1978, filming scenes for Superman-The Movie. Donner is shown using an Arriflex camera on Universal Studios’ revolutionary “Shaker Mount” camera system, which mimicked the effects of an earthquake by moving the entire camera body several inches side to side, versus merely shaking the camera lens. It was originally made for the movie “Earthquake” in 1974.

Christopher Hack from the UK is quite a talent! Check out his Christopher Reeve Superman piece below and click here to visit his website. We’re looking forward to seeing more Super creations from Chris! From Chris: “Love the site. CapedWonder™ is an awesome collection of images. I’ve only done one little Superman drawing so far. But I plan on doing many more very soon.”

17 February 2012

CapedWonder™.com has confirmed with Original Prop Blog that this Superman IV costume being auctioned at Julien’s Auctions is indeed authentic. It will not include boots or belt. The consignor apparently worked on the film. He also wore and, unfortunately, machine washed, the costume a few times. Stay tuned for more photos. Visit Julien’s Auctions website for more information.

17 February 2012

Reeve Foundation to Support Local Disabled Athletes.

16 February 2012

“Mr. Reeve knew from the age of 12 that he wanted to be an actor. “Friends would say to me, ‘You don’t want him to go into that, it’s awful.’ But, my response would be, ‘I could no more stop him than I could stop a rainstorm.’ He was determined.” – Christopher Reeve, an Actor and Activist Among New Jersey Hall of Fame Inductees. Read more here.

15 February 2012

The CapedWonder™ Facebook page has been updated with imagery and important information about the Superman The Motion Picture Anthology Blu-ray box set and individual title Blu-ray releases from Germany, Latin America, France, Spain, Poland and Japan. Go there now!

09 February 2012 [UPDATED]

Ramón Casares has shot more wonderful photos of the Hot Toys Christopher Reeve Superman figure. They feature hands from the Thor and Bruce Lee HT figures. Way to go Ramón! Be sure to take a look at his HT gallery to see even more photos. Enjoy!

08 February 2012

Happy 80th Birthday John Williams! Thank you, John, for your gift of music that made Christopher Reeve S O A R as our Man of Steel! Check out this website! And listen to John’s isolated Fortress of Solitude sound track from the TV broadcasts (without pauses), prepared by Alex Serpa.

07 February 2012

Remember 9-year-old Wade Murphy and his mom, Devra, who wrote to me recently? They attended the 1994 Atlanta Dixie Trek Convention and met Christopher Reeve and Noel Neill (see the 05 January post below). Here’s a newly “discovered” photo of Chris and Wade that Devra was kind enough to send me. I scanned her original camera negative and restored the scan yesterday. Unfortunately, it appears that the point-and-shoot camera likely focused on Wade’s face, and Chris Reeve moved slightly during the exposure, so Chris’ face ended up looking rather out-of-focus, but I was able to work around it fairly well anyway. Below shows the before (left) and after. Enjoy!

04 February 2012

In September 2011, Pedro Bodega attended the Phenomena Experience showing of Superman-The Movie and The Spy Who Loved Me at the Urgel Cinema in Barcelona, Spain. Pedro met special guest Pierre Spengler at the event and had him autograph some Superman items. Visit his friend’s webpage about the event here, and visit Pedro’s gallery (with some nice image contributions and links) on the CapedWonder™ Facebook page here. It looked like a fun time for all! Thank you for sharing Pedro!

31 January 2012

Here’s a completely original and unique marketing piece by Viral marketing agency Thinkmodo for the upcoming Chronicle film (opening February 3rd), featuring three flying people in New York City (not Zod, Ursa or Non this time!). I actually like this video better than the movie trailer.

Did you know that Somewhere in Time co-star Jane Seymour had twins in 1995? Their names are Kristopher and Johnny, named after Christopher Reeve and Johnny Cash. Kris is pictured on the right wearing the Superman shirt. Jane’s husband is director James Keach, brother of actor Stacy Keach.

Hadley Kay, young Jason who was rescued by Superman in Superman II, wrote me this very nice e-mail last night and has agreed to write a story for CapedWonder™.com about his experience filming in Niagara Falls and Pinewood Studios…stay tuned!

“Hi there Jim!

I really enjoyed having a look around your website. It’s amazing how connected and passionate fans around the world are for the Superman franchise, and I found this out firsthand when I was a guest this past summer at FanExpo 2011 Toronto. I was humbled by the fans who shared such great enthusiasm for my role in the movie.

I’ve always been proud to have been one of the few who was saved by Superman. As for Christopher Reeve himself, I am even more proud to have known the man, as I did. We spent 6 weeks filming my plummet in to Niagara Falls. Only one week was filmed in Niagara. The remaining 5 weeks were filmed at Pinewood Studios in London, England. Special effects not being as advanced as they are today, Christopher and I were suspended up in the air every day for weeks as the filmmakers perfected the look of what is such a seemingly quick moment. Being a young kid, Christopher was always the first one to call out “Hadley needs a break”, “let’s get him some lunch”, etc. I never forgot how mindful he was of me, and everyone around him, and I took those lessons to heart. He was a friend, and a true gentleman.

Best wishes to you!

Hadley”

30 January 2012

It’s a Bird…It’s a Plane…It’s…TNI’s 2011 Toy Of The Year – Hot Toys 1/6th Scale Christopher Reeve Superman (thanks to Martin Lakin for the heads up). Check out Ramón Casares’ excellent Hot Toys gallery here.

Martin Lakin’s SUPERMANIA blog has four impressive posts, so be sure to check them out soon! Far East Finds…, A Dynamic Duo…, Vivid, Memorable And Real… and Rarity Of Rarities…

“I, Richard Lester, Challenge Thee” – a great new article by Dharmesh Chauhan of Superman CINEMA Archives.

A NIAGARA NOTE: When the Man of steel ruled the Niagara sky. The young actor who was rescued by Superman in the Niagara Falls scene is Hadley Kay. Check out his impressive website here.

Christopher Reeve Selected to N.J. Hall of Fame, His Mother Is Grateful for Town’s Support.

Lois Lane–Environmental Superhero!

18 January 2012

DigitalBits.com has said it best and we at CapedWonder™.com concur 100%: “As writers and artists ourselves, The Digital Bits supports protection of copyright. But we oppose excessive and overreaching attempts to control or censor information on (and access to) the Internet by powerful lobbies, well-funded interests and government. We aren’t “blacking out” the site today, but we encourage you all to learn more about the issues and take a stand to keep the Internet free.”

If you’ve never visited Original Prop Blog’s Superman movie costume pages, this is the place to start. Make time to read everything. It’s important.

This past weekend, I spent a few hours with the masters at Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging discussing the great Blu-ray restoration work being done on their vast movie library. Stay tuned for photos and an interview soon! I also spent some quality time with Ilya Salkind, John Haymes Newton (Superboy) and James Calvert (T.J. White) at their ‘Superboy’ TV series (season one) reunion held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. It was a fun time being with them and with Superboy aficionados Rennie Cowan and Sam Rizzo. All fine folks indeed! Later, I took Ilya, Rennie, Sam and my good friend Aaron Smolinski (Baby Superman from Superman-The Movie) to dinner where we shared some enlightening and fun conversation for a few hours. Ilya is quite the storyteller! Below are photos taken at both Christopher Reeve’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Superboy reunion. Enjoy!

11 January 2012

Here’s a new unreleased photo of Christopher Reeve and Ned Beatty on the Lex Luthor lair set in Superman-The Movie. From the CapedWonder™ Collection.

And below are a high-def screenshot of the Kent farm as it appeared in Superman-The Movie in August 1977 and a photo of me photographing the farm as it looks today. See more “Return To Smallville” photos here.

07 January 2012

Here’s a favorite in my Superman movie collection. It’s a TOPPS gum card #45 autographed by the man himself, Christopher Reeve! Do you have a Superman movie autograph you’d like to share? Contact me here.

07 January 2012

Below is one of my favorite portraits of Christopher Reeve, shot in 1996. Check out scans of Chris’ Time article here.

06 January 2012

Here’s a 1600×1200 wallpaper from the new CapedWonder™ video opener created by Julian Adderley.

05 January 2012

I was very pleasantly surprised when I received this letter recently from Devra Murphy who attended the 1994 Atlanta Dixie Trek Convention with Christopher Reeve and Noel Neill. The letter and photo made me smile! More photos from the convention are here.

“Dear Mr. Bowers,

Devra Murphy”

01 January 2012

We hope you have a wonderful and safe New Year, and that 2012 brings nothing but the best to you and your family and friends. We also just want to say how much we appreciate all of you who visit CapedWonder™.com often. Without you, we wouldn’t still be going strong! March 28, 2012 is our 10th Anniversary, which is just one reason why we’re so excited about the New Year! Cheers, and Happy New Year!

My Life as a Mankiewicz: An Insider’s Journey through Hollywood — Release date May 21, 2012

The son of famed director and screenwriter Joseph L. Mankiewicz (All About Eve [1950], Guys and Dolls [1955], Cleopatra [1963]) and the nephew of Citizen Kane screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz, Tom Mankiewicz was genuine Hollywood royalty. He grew up in Beverly Hills and New York, spent summers on his dad’s film sets, had his first drink with Humphrey Bogart, dined with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, went to the theater with Ava Gardner, and traveled the world writing for Brando, Sinatra, and Connery. Although his family connections led him to show business, Tom “Mank” Mankiewicz forged a career of his own, becoming a renowned screenwriter, director, and producer of acclaimed films and television shows. He wrote screenplays for three James Bond films — Diamonds Are Forever (1971), Live and Let Die (1973), and The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) — and made his directorial debut with the hit TV series Hart to Hart (1979–1984). My Life as a Mankiewicz is a fascinating look at the life of an individual whose creativity and work ethic established him as a member of the Hollywood writing elite. Read more here.